This ecoregion forms intertidal coastal ecosystems along much of the eastern coast of the Indian Peninsula. These form larger mangrove forest tracts around the deltas of the major east-flowing river systems with mangrove belts along mudflats and coasts. They form dense interlocked stands of specialised trees adapted to recurring inundation, high salinity, and the dynamic coast – ocean interface. Species of Avicennia, Rhizophora, Sonneratia, and Bruguiera occur. The mangroves shield the eastern shoreline against extreme climate events and large-scale erosion. For all their ecological and social value, mangrove ecosystems are little known and are threatened by anthropogenic pressures like urbanisation, industrial intrusion, farming, and pollution.